Dateline: September 18, 2003

Renovations begin on Clarendon depot

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Work began on the renovation of the old Ft. Worth & Denver Railroad Depot last week after more than three years of planning and setbacks.

Representatives of the Saints’ Roost Museum Board met with Dallas-based contractor Phoenix I Restoration & Construction last Wednesday and signed the contract on the $200,000 job. The finished depot will be used to house transportation-related exhibits.

Project manager John Swanson said his crew would begin immediately working on demolition of deteriorated elements and getting new materials ready.

The depot, which was moved from Kearney Street to the museum grounds in 1996, will undergo a total restoration inside and out, Swanson said. The building will be re-wired and re-plumbed to meet modern needs and codes. The baggage and ticket areas will be restored, and a kitchen area will be put in behind the ticket office.

All windows and doors will be made operable, and alterations will be made to meet federal handicapped requirements.

The hardwood floors will be repaired and sealed but not refinished, and the ceilings and walls will be scraped, sanded, and repainted. Exterior walls will be filled with blow-in insulation, and a plastic vapor barrier will be installed above the tongue and grove bead-boards on the ceiling.

The exterior of the building will also be scrapped, sanded, and painted; and new trim will be added around the top. A reproduction of the “Clarendon” sign will also be affixed to the end of the building.

Clarendon’s depot was originally constructed in late 1887 or early 1888, and this is believed to be at least partially the same building, although it was substantially remodeled more than once, specifically in 1915 and 1927.

The depot renovation is being funded by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation and through the generous donations of many individuals and businesses. The project is expected to take about 90 days to complete.